Jaitley for raising retirement age of SC, HC judges

Cuttack, July 28: Favouring a relook at the present system of appointment of judges, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley suggested raising the retirement age of Supreme Court and High Court judges to improve the functioning of the judiciary.

"Raising the retirement age will help the judiciary function better and it will not cost the government much," Jaitley, a former law minister at the Centre, said delivering the Justice B K Ray memorial lecture here.

The soaring number of cases pending before the high courts and the apex court can be effectively handled if the retirement age of judges is raised, he said, adding that more number of judges would also play a significant role in ensuring their better functioning.

At present, Supreme Court judges retire at 65, while the retirement age of the high court judges is 62 years. The problem relating to huge number of pending cases can also be tackled by filling up the vacancies in the courts as per the suggestions made by National Law Commission, Jaitley said during the lecture, organised here last night in memory of the first Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.

Proposing for a relook at the existing method of appointment of judges of the Supreme court and high courts, Jaitley, himself a senior SC lawyer, said there should be a national debate on the recruitment of judges.

He said the existing system of collegium needs to be given a fresh look in order to make it more effective and check possible favouritism in appointment of judges. In order to attract best talents, it would be proper to bring about reforms in the judiciary so that more people are inclined to become judges, said the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

PTI